Tuskarr
The Tuskarr are humanoid walrus people who live in Northrend. Although seen throughout Northrend, they make their homes primarily in the Borean Tundra. The Tuskarr culture is mainly centered around fishing, and whaling, to the point where one's ability to catch fish is a moral guideline to them. Tuskarr female farm the few crops that grow in the tundra, and gather berries and roots. Animal husbandry exists in the Tuskarr culture, which includes Tuskarr who breed penguins as farm animals. Tuskarr are humanoids with solid builds and thick torsos and broad shoulders. They wear warm furs under oilskin jackets. Their heads are blunt and almost hairless, with a pair of great tusks pointing down from their upper jaw. Their brown faces are friendly and expressive. Culture and society ]] ]] The tuskarr are peerless fishermen and whalers. Their self-contained economy is based on the ocean's bounty. These stout-hearted creatures have a budding society along the frozen coasts of Northrend. Yet tuskarr do not yet have an organized society, their villages lying scattered across icy beaches and bustling with activity and commerce. Communities are established to help with fishing, animal husbandry, and defense rather than through political interests. The family is the primary social structure, and tuskarr have no community figureheads aside from familial leadership roles. Kinship usually involves three generations from both the mother and father's sides. Functionally, these extended families are treated as one, so the action of a member is the responsibility of the entire group. Marriage occurs as soon as a man can support a wife, and for females as soon as they reach puberty. Family They are simple people, and family based. Everything is about the family first, the larger community second and the individual third. The only reason the families don’t live separately is because they would be too vulnerable, and when they have to coordinate they simply pick a family at random to take charge for that particular situation. Each family has its own leader, who is obeyed implicitly, but the entire family bears responsibility for each of its members. Law Tuskarr laws are simple. No tuskarr may avoid helping tend to the needs of the settlement -- gathering food, making clothing and housing, patrolling in defense, and so on. The sea is communal property for fishing and whaling. Catches are divided among the community as feasible, with those who miss out on one catch getting first choice the next time. Tuskarr do have personal property, but possession is conditioned by actual use. Tuskarr laws are not meant to punish criminals as much as they maintain community peace and prosperity. Punishment is mild, usually aimed at injuring one's social position (through gossip, ridicule, or ostracism). Still, some matters are taken seriously. Blood vengeance is always required in return for the taking of a life, which may result in an ongoing feud. Role of shamans Tuskarr shamans have the power to influence events such as weather, food, and illnesses. Shaman magic is often quite a production, even something like curing the sick: the shaman may speak with ghosts of the patient's relatives and even battle other spirits into submission before forcing them to help heal the patient. Hunting Fishing and whaling form the basis of everything from moral guidance to conversational slang. Boys strive to be good fisherman and girls dream of marrying a good whaler. Success in fishing is a sign of right living, and failure is a sign of moral disorder. The tuskarr afterlife is imagined as a paradise with choice catches and successful whaling without hard work. To visit a tuskarr village, visitors must bring several fresh fish along, to prove they can fish. Fishing is more than just a means to survive for tuskarr — it’s also a moral guideline. If they think that someone cannot fish well, that is a bad person, so evidence of successful fishing means someone must have good morals and therefore must be respectable. If a person brings several large fish, he is treated like a long lost and much beloved cousin. Religion Tuskarr have simple rituals relating to social rather than religious circumstances -- birth, marriage, sickness, and death most prominently. Other rituals relate to celebrating a good catch and venerating those who are lost at sea or who fall in battle. War The tuskarr often war with the indigenous ice trolls and nerubian spiderfolk of Northrend. Though they have done well to evade the undead Scourge, the tuskarr know that it is only a matter of time before the legions of the dead come calling. Tuskarr favor spear weapons and nets as their primary tools of war. Tuskarr warriors coordinate in combat, each working to ensure the well-being of the others. Typically, one member of a squad will attempt to snare an enemy in a net, while the others attempt to dispatch the trapped opposition with their spears. Architecture Tuskarr houses are solidly built structures of wood and stone, with thick, thatched roofs. They’re only one story and sprawl rather than rise, because of the incessant wind. Heavy shutters cover the windows and short entry halls lead from the outer door to an inner one, which keeps heat from escaping and cold from entering. Their homes are radial, with a single large chamber at the middle and the sleeping quarters arrayed around it. They have large pits in the center, lined with stone, and keep a fire blazing constantly — it heats the entire house and has spits and trays for cooking food. Tuskarr are fishers and whalers, and they use every part of the animals they hunt. Whale bones form support beams in their homes, and heavy sealskins and other furs cover the floors and the doorways. They create dyes from various squid inks and fish scales, and have colorful weavings on their walls. Clothing Tusken inner clothing is brightly colored, under their thick furs and oilskins. When a tuskarr woman accepts a man as her husband she weaves him a vest and he wears that against his skin. She replaces it once they have children, and again if he becomes the head of their extended family. She repairs it when necessary but otherwise he never takes it off. When males die they are buried in their most recent vest, and the others are wrapped together to fashion a pillow for the body. In Wrath of the Lich King According to new lore from the recently announced Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the Tuskarr form an alliance with the culturally similar Horde, and help establish the outpost of Warsong Hold. It should be noted, however, that the Tuskarr are a neutral faction, and both the Horde and Alliance will be able to interact with them.http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=4822672699&pageNo=3&sid=1#40 :Shortly upon arriving (in the Borean Tundra of Northrend), the Horde met the Tuskarr, a walrus-like race of nomadic fishermen. The two groups have since formed a bond, and the Horde has sworn to aid their new allies in any way possible. http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath/features/northrend/borean-tundra.xml Factions * The Kalu'ak Locations * Kaskala (located in the Borean Tundra) * Kamagua (Howling Fjord) * Moa'ki Harbor (Dragonblight) Description :Despite the absence of any records documenting the tuskarr's past, many significant facts have recently come to light. :The tuskarr are a kind-natured nomadic race that roams the southern coastlines of Northrend, guided by the carved cyclopean statues that mark their seasonal fishing routes. The tuskarr's tribal affiliation is evidenced by the sigils inscribed on their tusks, and although they are a peaceful race, they are constantly beset by taunka and local murlocs. :Yet even their enemies marvel at the tuskarr's prowess and fearlessness in catching some of the most dangerous creatures in Northrend's frigid waters, including whales and giant squid. Not even the unnamed leviathans that lurk in the ocean's depths are beyond the tuskarr's reach. :The tuskarr have seen their share of difficult times, but with the Horde's recent arrival they have found a new ally in the ongoing struggle against the hostile forces of Northrend. Note that the line "...although they are a peaceful race, they are constantly beset by taunka and local murlocs." was secretly changed to "...although they are a peaceful race, they are constantly beset by the Kvaldir and an arctic race of murloc-like creatures known as the Gorloc." Inspiration ]] While Tuskarr appear to be inspired mostly by the Inuit, concept art also features Moai-like statues, so there might be influences from south-sea island cultures as well, specifically Easter Island (or Rapa Nui). Possible outside influence from 1980's cult cartoon Thundercats which featured a species known as Tuska who were humanoid walruses. Another possible outside influence could be from the Nintendo Gamecube Game "Animal Crossing" which was released on September 15th, 2002. In the game, Wendell the Walrus (a humanoid walrus who greatly resembles the Tuskarr), is a starving artist who forms his opinion of the player based on the kind of fish the player brings him. Wendell will not give you any paintings, nor will he pay any attention to you, unless you bring him a fish, which is his favorite food. This trait is nearly identical to the Tuskarr's judgement of outsiders based upon the fish they present. References External links Category:Creatures Category:Lore Category:Tuskarr Category:Warcraft III Category:Wrath of the Lich King